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Tuesday, January 13, 2015

A Triumph of Terrorism

Western media are declaring the million-man march in Paris, where
world leaders paraded down Boulevard Voltaire in solidarity with France,
a victory over terrorism.

Isn’t it pretty to think so.

Unfortunately, the massacre at Charlie Hebdo, its military-style
execution, the escape of the assassins, and their blazing end in a
shootout Friday was a triumph of terrorism not seen since 9/11.

Unlike the Boston Marathon bombing where the Tsarnaevs did not know
or care whom they maimed or killed, the attack on Charlie Hebdo by the
Kouachi brothers was purposeful and targeted terrorism.

And like a flash of lightning in the dark, it exposed the moral contradictions and confusion of the West.

During the slaughter the Kouachis shouted “Allahu akbar,” said they had “avenged the Prophet,” and spoke of ties to al-Qaida.

And the first response of President Francois Hollande?

These terrorists “have nothing to do with the Muslim religion.”

This is political correctness of a rare order. Perhaps terminal.

Linking arms with Hollande in solidarity and unity Sunday was Bibi
Netanyahu who declared, “I wish to tell to all French and European Jews —
Israel is your home.” Colleagues urged French Jews to flee to Israel.

Marching on the other side of Hollande was Palestinian leader Mahmoud
Abbas who seeks to have Netanyahu’s Israel indicted in the
International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza. Solidarity!

In chanting “Je Suis Charlie,” the marchers showed support for a
magazine French Muslims rightly believe is racist and anti-Islamic.

Yet, Marine Le Pen, leading in the polls for the French presidency,
was blacklisted from marching for remarks about Muslim immigration that
are benign compared to what Charlie Hebdo regularly publishes.

All weekend long, journalists called it an imperative for us all to
defend the lewd and lurid blasphemies of the satirical magazine.

But as journalist Christopher Dickey points out, Muslims in the
banlieues wonder why insulting the Prophet is a protected freedom in
France, while denying the Holocaust can get you a prison term.

Hypocrisy is indeed the tribute that vice pays to virtue.

Moreover, all this chatter about freedom of speech and of the press
misses the point. It was not the right to publish that provoked the
slaughter, but the content of what was published.

When Aaron Burr challenged Alexander Hamilton to a duel, and killed
him, he was not attacking the First Amendment freedom of the press, but
rather Hamilton, for defamation of Burr’s character, which had helped to
destroy Burr’s career.

What the commentators seem to be saying about the assault on Charlie
Hebdo is that not only is what is spoken or published protected by the
First Amendment, but those who print and publish vile things must never
suffer violent consequences.

People who believe this is attainable are living in a dream world, and may not be long for this one.

Even as children you knew there were words you did not use about
someone else’s girlfriend, mother, family, faith or race, if you did not
want a thrashing.

That same day millions marched in France, Saudi Arabia was
administering 50 lashes to blogger Raif Badawi convicted of insulting
Saudi clergy, the first of 1,000 lashes over 20 weeks in addition to his
10-year jail sentence. Had Badawi been guilty of apostasy, he would
have been executed.

Welcome to the new Middle East, same as the old Middle East.

And Islam and the Prophet were not the only targets of Charlie Hebdo.
Catholicism was also. In one cartoon, Charlie Hebdo depicts the First
and Second Persons of the Blessed Trinity in incestuous activity.

And we all supposed to march in solidarity with that?

A liberal secular West might find this a democratic duty. Not all
will. When people are using the First Amendment to assault the somewhat
older Second Commandment, “Though shalt not take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain,” they should not be surprised when devout followers of
Abrahamic faiths take a pass.

These Islamic terrorists are sending us a message: In the
post-Christian West, Christians may turn the other check at insults to
their God and faith. We are not turn-the-other cheek people. Insult our
faith, mock the Prophet, and we kill you.

An awakening and rising Islamic world — a more militant faith than
Christianity or secularism — is saying to the West: We want you out of
our part of the world, and we are coming to your part of the world, and
you cannot stop us.

And Francois Hollande’s response? Show solidarity with Islam by ostracizing Marine Le Pen.

This is the true heir of Edouard Daladier of Munich fame.

The Kouachi brothers sent yet another message.

If you are a young Muslim willing to fight and die for Islam, do not
waste your life as some suicide bomber in the wilds of Syria or Iraq. Do
as we did; shock and awe your enemies right inside the belly of the
beast.

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